Our World Underwater Scholarship Society

What Our World Underwater Scholarship Society does

Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS) is a US 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1974 that provides experience-based scholarships and internships in underwater science. It operates a year-long Rolex Scholarship program (one scholar per region) and seven summer internship tracks, including the Dr. Lee H. Somers AAUS Scientific Diving Internship, Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Internship, National Park Service Research Internship, REEF Marine Conservation Internship, two Divers Alert Network safety and health internships, and the Paul L. Schutt Underwater Photography Internship. Programs are delivered via an embedded host network that includes AAUS, the NPS Submerged Resources Center, REEF, DAN, the Maldives Underwater Initiative (Six Senses Laamu), Shannon Point Marine Center, and The Explorers Club, with the Explorers Club in New York City historically hosting the annual awards ceremony.

The Society is operated as an all-volunteer nonprofit with no paid staff and reaches candidates through online applications, university and dive-industry outreach, blog and social media content, and an annual awards weekend. Recipients are college students and recent graduates who hold a Rescue Diver certification and a minimum of 25 logged dives, and they receive fully funded immersion including travel, room and board, and professional certifications such as AAUS Scientific Diver.

Revenue is generated entirely from donations and corporate sponsorships. Rolex Watch U.S.A. has been the founding and primary sponsor since 1974 and provides the Rolex Scholarship branding; other sponsors include Divers Alert Network, Fourth Element, Backscatter Underwater Video, and various dive-industry firms. The Society maintains parallel registered charitable entities in the United Kingdom (UK Charity 1102288) and Australia (ACNC, ABN 15660836751) to operate the European and Australasian scholarship programs respectively. In October 2025, OWUSS announced the suspension of Scholarship awards in all three regions for 2026 while it reviews its mission and goals; the internship program continues.

Name

Our World Underwater Scholarship Society

Legal name

Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society™

Website

https://owuscholarship.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1974 that funds year-long Rolex Scholarships and summer internships for college-aged divers pursuing careers in marine science, research, and underwater fields across North America, Europe, and Australasia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Science Education & Scholarships

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Provider-Run International Internship Programs (Multi-Country/Multi-Industry) (EDAIAFAA)

Keywords

• Underwater education programs
• Marine science scholarships
• Scientific diving internships
• Marine conservation fellowships
• Underwater research training

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: OWUSS is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization funded primarily through donations. The website explicitly solicits donations and inquiries about becoming a sponsor.
2. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors provide support for scholarships and internships. Rolex Watch U.S.A. has been a founding partner since 1974. Other sponsors include Divers Alert Network (DAN), Fourth Element, and various dive industry companies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OWUSS provides fully-funded, experience-based educational programs in the underwater world, consisting of year-long Rolex Scholarships (one scholar per region across North America, Europe, and Australasia) and seven summer internship programs covering scientific diving, marine conservation, dive safety, underwater archaeology, and underwater photography. Programs are offered at no cost to recipients, with travel, room and board, and living expenses covered by donations and corporate sponsorships. Host organizations include the National Park Service Submerged Resources Center, REEF, AAUS, DAN, Maldives Underwater Initiative, and Shannon Point Marine Center.

Product overview

The Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society is a nonprofit organization offering experience-based educational programs in the underwater world. Its core offerings consist of year-long Rolex Scholarships (covering North America, Europe, and Australasia regions) and seasonal Summer Internships. The internship portfolio includes seven distinct programs: Dr. Lee H. Somers AAUS Scientific Diving Internship, Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Internship, National Park Service Research Internship, REEF Marine Conservation Internship, two DAN (Divers Alert Network) internships focused on diver safety and health research, and the Paul L. Schutt Underwater Photography Internship. These programs provide college-aged individuals and recent graduates with hands-on training in marine biology, oceanography, scientific diving, underwater archaeology, photography, and dive safety to foster careers in underwater-related fields.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rolex Scholarship Program Year-long experiential scholarship program providing financial and logistical support to young people pursuing careers in underwater-related fields. Recipients receive hands-on training in marine biology, oceanography, underwater research, photography, and related fields across three regions: North America, Europe, and Australasia.
• Dr. Lee H. Somers AAUS Scientific Diving Internship Summer internship providing experience in science diving for research, offering AAUS Scientific Diver Certification and training at AAUS organizational member sites.
• National Park Service Research Internship Internship working with NPS archaeologists, underwater photographers, and scientists at the Submerged Resources Center in Boulder, Colorado, with potential travel to various national parks domestically and overseas.
• REEF Marine Conservation Internship Internship at the Reef Environmental Education Foundation in Key Largo, Florida, focused on marine conservation, conducting fish surveys, and environmental education.
• DAN Diver's Safety Internship Internship with Divers Alert Network focused on dive safety, risk mitigation resources, hyperbaric chamber training, and diver health research.
• Dr. Glen H. Egstrom DAN Diver's Health and Safety Research Internship Internship focused on diving physiology, health and safety research, and participating in DAN research endeavors including data collection and analysis.
• Paul L. Schutt Underwater Photography Internship Internship focused on underwater photography, providing training in underwater imaging techniques and opportunities to document marine life and research.
• Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Internship AAUS-affiliated internship providing advanced scientific diving research training and experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94 Rolex scholarships and 93 internships sponsored by 2016
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fourth ElementminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Wetsuit and dive gear sponsor providing equipment to OWUSS interns. Supports the program by outfitting recipients with quality dive gear for their experiences.
• Backscatter Underwater VideominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Camera equipment sponsor providing demo gear to photography interns for the Backscatter Digital Shootout event in Bonaire.
• Maldives Underwater Initiative (MUI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025MUI hosts the Paul L. Schutt Underwater Photography Internship at Six Senses Laamu resort in the Maldives. MUI partners with Manta Trust, Olive Ridley Project, and Maldives Resilient Reefs for marine research.
• Shannon Point Marine CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Western Washington University's marine center provides scientific diving certification and research training for AAUS interns in the Salish Sea region.
• Divers Alert Network (DAN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010DAN sponsors two diving safety internships: the Dr. Glen H. Egstrom Diver's Health and Safety Internship and the DAN Diver's Safety Internship. These programs focus on diving physiology, safety research, and risk mitigation training.
• American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010AAUS hosts the Dr. Lee H. Somers Scientific Diving Internship and the Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Internship. These provide scientific diver certification and research diving experience to recipients.
• National Park Service Submerged Resources Center (NPS SRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010NPS SRC hosts the National Park Service Research Internship, providing hands-on experience in underwater archaeology, photography, and resource management across U.S. National Parks. Interns work with professional NPS divers and scientists.
• REEF Environmental Education FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010REEF hosts the Marine Conservation Internship in Key Largo, Florida, providing experience at a nonprofit environmental organization focused on marine life surveys and conservation education.
• Bonnier Corporation Dive GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Bonnier Dive Group (Sport Diver, Scuba Diving, Undersea Journal) hosts a publishing internship based in Winter Park, Florida, providing magazine publishing experience.
• The Explorers ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Historic New York City venue that hosts OWUSS's annual awards ceremony and weekend events, providing a prestigious setting for announcing new scholarship recipients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• PADI Foundation: Grantmaking arm of PADI focused on underwater education, research, and dive-related scholarships — the most direct functional peer to OWUSS in funding marine/dive education and talent development.
• Schmidt Ocean Institute: Philanthropic organization supporting ocean research, technology, and early-career marine scientists with fellowships and grants — directly comparable funding marine science talent.
• Waitt Institute: Ocean-focused foundation funding marine research, conservation, and workforce development programs — comparable grantmaking/educational programming aimed at marine science talent.
• National Marine Sanctuary Foundation: Nonprofit that funds marine conservation education, scholarships, and internships tied to U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries — a close analog in marine experiential education funding.
• AAUS Foundation: Foundation of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, which already hosts OWUSS's scientific diving internships. It supports scientific diver training and research grants for students — directly comparable in mission and beneficiary base.

Emerging players

• Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium: Marine research and education institution offering internships and fellowships in marine science — comparable experiential education for early-career marine scientists, though operating as a research lab rather than a grantmaker.
• Revive & Restore: Marine conservation nonprofit funding research and early-career programs in ocean species recovery — an adjacent, mission-aligned funder of marine talent with a narrower focus.

Broad incumbents

• NOAA Sea Grant College Program: Federal-state marine research, education, and fellowship program funding marine science students and professionals — the dominant public-sector peer for marine-science scholarships and internships.
• National Geographic Society: Major nonprofit funding exploration, science, and education grants including ocean programs — a much larger incumbent that overlaps in funding marine education and exploration talent.
• The Explorers Club: Historic exploration society that already hosts OWUSS's annual awards ceremony at its NYC headquarters; overlaps in mission around exploration, science, and fellowship but serves a broader mandate beyond underwater fields.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/OWUSSOfficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/OWUscholarship
• Instagraminstagram.com/owuss_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/our-world-underwater-scholarship-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Our World Underwater Scholarship Society